Currently, epidural catheters are provided to the anesthesiologist inside a bag made of polyethylene or other polymeric material. The bag is sealed around the four edges and a perforation is provided on one edge to facilitate opening for removal of the catheter.
Upon removal from the bag, the entire catheter falls out. Consequently, the anesthesiologist must be careful to assure that the catheter, typically on the order of three feet in length, or any portion of it, does not contact a nonsterile surface.
Accordingly, it will be appreciated that there is a great need in the art for a packaging system for catheters such as those used for anesthesiology which will deliver the sterile catheter into the hands of the clinician in a fail-safe manner obviating the aforementioned problems.
Stated simply, the task of this invention is to devise a packaging and delivery system for delivering the catheter from its sterile package to the anesthesiologist or other clinician in a manner which avoids unwanted inadvertent contact with nonsterile surfaces in the course of unpackaging it in preparation for a medical or surgical procedure.